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In 1995 I was attending a different church which at the time had gotten a new minister. I already wasn't happy there, however I decided to give him two years to change things around. So two years later with nothing changed and having received the monthly Davies newsletter I decided to check Davies out one Sunday.

I can still remember that Sunday. It was Oct.1997 and it was a cool sunny fall day. I was nervous naturally.Who wouldn't be attending a new church? I was met at the door by Vernon Bohl who proceeded to make me feel right at home. Through out the service and coffee hour afterward everyone I met from Rev.Don Cameron-Kragt to the children were warm friendly and I felt right at home.

I've something personal to include in this history. I've a disability effecting both my arms and hands. All my life wherever I go some people stare, awesome I am unable to do anything,or make comments. My first day at Davies was totally refreshing. I noticed right off not a person stared,not a person awesomed I couldn't do a thing and not a person made a comment.Even the children after church were the same .They also didn't stare,didn't awesome I couldn't do anything,or make comments. As I said it was and is refreshing and displays the wonderful humanity of the people at Davies.

Over the next nine months I attended Davies off and on.Rev. Don did several sermons and discussion afterward. It was nice not a single person thought my comments stupid like happened so often in my old church.Bill Echols even told me several times he enjoyed what I had to say.

Then in June of 1998 my life at Davies really took off in a very pleasant and also an important way .One evening I got a call from Mary Baker asking me if I would like to teach the youth group's Summer program. Which that year was the mythology in the three original "Star Wars"movies. I was delighted to do so. Even further that Sunday I was asked to be a member on the RE committee. In Aug.the new DRE Dawn Star Borchelt met with the youth to pick an advisor. I was delighted to learn the youth voted to ask me.All this and I wasn't at the time a member yet.

I would like to add here the youth like everyone at Davies were/are wonderful and rich with humanity. They never once from my first day batted an eye about my disablity. They have never stared,never once awesomed I couldn't do something,or made comments. It was a joy to be their advisor,watch them grow learn and now become the young adult group. Still maintaining their rich humanity.

Time moves on and now a new youth group and my joy continues. This new group like the previous never once has stared,awesomed I couldn't do something,or made comments about my disablity. They too display their own wonderful humanity.

In closing these 7 years at Davies has been blessing and a joy. The humanity of the people the children the youth and young adults are beacons of humanity in a world that so desperately needs it. I hope the people and Davies will always be so for another 50 years and beyond.

Tom Stubbs Jr. (photo of Tom telling his story at church)
USA - Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 17:24:25 (EST)

My dates aren't accurate. Sometime late '49 we moved to Alexandria and I began a job at NRL. In 1951 our second daughter Nancy was born and about this time we moved to Forest Heights to a house bought with the help of the GI Bill. A couple of years later we decided to take our oldest to Sunday school and we started going to All Souls. It was the only option matching Martha's and my world views. One of us got to listen to A Powell Davies. Sally Rosen and the Krause family were fellow attendees from NRL.

Davies had the grand vision of establishing Unitarian Fellowships accessible to all the outlying residential areas. The group that became the founding parents of DMUC initiated the establishment of the SE Unitarian Fellowship. I think the leaders were maybe the Naylor Gardens group and nearby persons. In any case Gordon and Gloria Hagberg and the Ruhligs were early prime movers. Maybe the Entemanns were also part of the group and an old Unitarian couple whose name escapes me at the moment were also key.

You have the records but certainly:
the Clarks
the Viehofers
Susie and John Franklin
the Campanias
the Burkes
the Schwartz's
the Grebenkempers
the Steckels
the Berninghausens
the Gardners
the little county man with a white beard
and a long term woman Unitarian who later returned to her roots in New
England were all vital contributors.

Merwin Phelps played the piano for the worship services for many years.

For us younger families the Sunday School was the center of interest. It was all Beacon Press building around the Marty and Judy stories, the Beginning of Earth and Sky, Beginnings of Life and Death for our kids age group. At the heart of the Sunday school were the teachers. Most of us teachers attended training retreats. I fondly remember training retreats one at Blue Ridge Summit just across the PA line and one at some lodge in the Poconos. Most of us knew nothing about teaching. Handling a group of kids was a new experience for many of us teachers.

The first of our vagabond homes was the Suitland Community Center. There was much preparation of the Center for worship and Sunday school operation. There was a big clean up effort on which the Ruhligs played an important role. I helped a Sunday school class and I remember taking the kids outside one day. We or I
sat on a tree trunk. When we got home we were infested with ticks. The kids were pretty good. As the kids grew older some of the boys were a bit obstreperous but they were given help jobs which helped the group and helped them grow up.

We were a real fellowship. I have a warm feeling for those days. Sally Rosen and Martha Chubb were in GW Hospital giving birth the same week. It was a struggle, we were young, it was adventurous and it was fun.
Virginia and Barbara can correct my mistakes and fill out the group. I'm sorry I won't be with you to reminisce. Somewhere I have photos or slides from that period.

Best wishes
Talbot
Talbot Chubb
USA - Wednesday, November 10, 2004 at 20:56:44 (EST)

I came to Davies in 1982. Fred LaShane was minister and Julie DesJardin (then "Mummert") was the Religious Education Coordinator. We had just moved into the area and I wanted to put our daughter (known then as "Selene", now known as "Maia") into a religious education program. Race told me not to volunteer for anything, but since there were no preschool teachers, I came home with a big metal suitcase - the DUSO curriculum. The following year Trevor was born, so I was in the nursery for the next 2 or 3 yrs. and seldom went to a worship service. I've since not only been in services, but I've also conducted some. You can read them from the lay services page or my personal home page linked here.
Joyce Dowling
Brandywine, MD USA - Friday, October 08, 2004 at 02:12:36 (EDT)